OK, let’s get the obvious famous dad question out of the way. What’s it like being Johnny Marr’s son?

“What was amazing growing up for both me and my sister was we were around artists all our lives. The people whom my mum and dad were around are all artists and musicians who have spent their lives doing it and worked really hard to continue to live their lives as creative people. That was really influential and the important thing to me was we learned from that what it takes to be a creative person. Every day you are trying to keep yourself living as a creative, and producing work. As a kid that was amazing to see. You learn what it takes to be a lifer. It wasn’t a conscious choice, I always just wrote songs and was always playing guitar. If I wasn’t putting out the music and no-one was listening, I would still do it.”

You’re at the Surf Cafe in Tynemouth on Saturday.

“I’ve never been to Surf Cafe but we’ve heard about it. That is the type of venue we really like. The show sold out in about a day, which was great for us and we are really excited about that one. It’s the best thing about touring. You get to see these venues. You realise that venues aren’t corporations, they are people. You are constantly being told the music industry is dead, guitar music is dead. But it isn’t for these people.”

Man Made, which features Nile Marr, who are playing the Surf Cafe in Tynemouth

Your debut album TV Broke My Brain is out next month. Bet you can’t wait.

“We’ve been playing this record for a long time now, before anyone has had the opportunity to hear it. For us this is what we do. The record is supposed to reflect what we do. I’ve never really understood, personally, this attitude of `l have made a record, let me play it for you and you can just come and hear us play the album’ and the album’s the thing. For us we are a live band, we’re real people and you want to come and have an experience with us and be a patron of the arts and have a human to human interaction. That’s what we are about. The album is supposed to facilitate that. The album is a manual, you get to read about what’s on offer. Then you go and experience it. That’s the only way we know how to do it.”

Tell me the evolution of Man Made.

“I played for years working out the songs before this line-up. Before I felt ready for it to be a band. It’s that patience, long-term thinking. I wanted to really suss myself out as a performer, learn how to be on stage and test those songs out with an audience, evolve. Then it was `now I am ready’, then I got the drummer in and we played together for about a year before I even looked for a bass player as I had to learn me and Scott (drummer) playing together first. Then we got the bass player Callum in and we were good to go.”

Man Made, which features Nile Marr

You lived in the USA for some time. How did that influence your music?

“I was suddenly around bands and a type of music I had never really seen in the UK. There is no UK equivalent of Modest Mouth. No UK equivalent of Fugazi. That was what was exciting for me and the music that got me going as a guitar player. I call them sponge years as a kid, your teen years when you know what you don’t like but you feel open to new things . You can still have your mind changed. That was amazing for me. You are around American punk rock in that way. It was a really penny drop for me – this is how you do it. Modest Mouse are the kings of getting in the van and doing it. They were so assured of themselves because no-one could argue they hadn’t worked their way to it. It really shaped the way Man Made conduct ourselves and the band ethos.”